FOR STARTERSThe No. 14/14 Friars and No. 11/11 Mavericks will each open their seasons this weekend when they meet for a two-game series at newly renovated Schneider Arena. Friday’s game will be streamed through Friars.com, while Saturday’s game will be broadcast by CoxSports on OSN.

TALKING POINTS• The Friars open the 2013 season versus Minnesota State on Friday night in the first regular-season game (men or women) played at the newly renovated Schneider Arena.• After not playing each other since 2003, the Friars and Mavericks will play a two-game series for the second consecutive season. • Last year at Minnesota State, the Friars dropped a pair of games (4-3 in OT on Jan. 4 and 4-0 on Jan. 5).• Two star sophomore goalies are set to face each other for the first time, including Providence’s Jon Gillies and Minnesota State’s Stephon Williams. Both goalies were First Team All-Conference selections as freshmen. Gillies missed last season’s MSU series while playing for Team USA at the 2013 World Junior Championship. • The Friars are coming off back-to-back appearances (2012 and 2013) in the Hockey East Championship semifinals for the first time since 1995 and 1996.

FRIARS IN REGULAR-SEASON OPENERS • Providence is 38-23-1 (.621) all-time in season openers, including four consecutive season-opening victories. Those four wins have come at Schneider Arena.• Last season, the Friars defeated Sacred Heart, 8-2, in their first game of the year.• Under Head Coach Nate Leaman, the Friars are 2-0-0 in season openers. • Friday night’s game will mark the sixth season in a row that the Friars have opened a season at home (4-1-0 in that span).

SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE • The Mavericks hosted the University of Lethbridge in exhibition action on Oct. 6 and came away with a 7-1 win. Sophomore forward Teddy Blueger had a goal and three assists.• Minnesota State was picked to finish first in the WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.• Junior forward Matt Leitner returns to lead the offense after posting 17 goals and adding 30 assists as a sophomore. He was picked as the WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Player of the Year.• Freshman forward Zach Stepan was selected as the WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Rookie of the Year.• Sophomore goalie Stephon Williams was named the 2012-13 WCHA Rookie of the Year. He posted a 21-12-2 overall record with a 2.00 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

SCHEDULE• The Friars have 15 games scheduled against USCHO.com’s current top-20 and 13 games against USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine’s top-15 ranked teams.• Providence has 13 games this season against opponents who made the 2013 NCAA championship tournament field.• The Friars will play their first five games at home in newly renovated Schneider Arena and six of its first seven.

SUMMER CAMP PART IISophomores Jon Gillies and Mark Jankowski took part in National Junior Team evaluation camps (Aug. 3-10). Gillies was part of Team USA’s camp, while Jankowski suited up for Team Canada.• The camps were held in order to evaluate players before the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship, which will take place from Dec. 26, 2013 to Jan. 5, 2014, in Malmo, Sweden.• Jankowski was one of just two collegiate players invited to Canada’s camp (BC defenseman Mike Matheson was the other). • Last year, serving as the primary backup for Team USA at the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, Gillies became the 11th Friar to take part in the World Junior Championships and the first Friar to take home a medal in the prestigious tournament as the U.S. won gold.

NHL DRAFT: FLORENTINO & GILMOUROn Sunday, June 30, freshman defenseman Anthony Florentino (West Roxbury, Mass.) was selected in the fifth round (143rd overall) in the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, which was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Two rounds later, sophomore John Gilmour (Montreal, Quebec) was selected 198th overall by the Calgary Flames.• Florentino and Gilmour were the 96th and 97th Friars selected in the NHL Draft. • Florentino was the sixth Friar drafted by the Sabres, joining Friar great Gates Orlando (164th overall in 1981) and rising senior defenseman Mark Adams (134th overall in 2009). • Gilmour was the fifth Friar drafted by Calgary and he joins classmates Mark Jankowski (Dundas, Ontario) and Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine) as Flames draftees.• Gilmour was the first Providence College player drafted after playing a season with the Friars since Jon Rheault and Cody Wild were selected in the 2006 draft.

FROZEN FENWAYProvidence College will play at Fenway Park on Jan. 4 against Merrimack in a non-conference game. It will mark the first outdoor game for the Friars.Jan. 4 Schedule (Both games on NESN)• 4:00 p.m. – Merrimack College vs. Providence College• 7:30 p.m. – Notre Dame vs. Boston College

MIGHTY MAUERMANNJunior Ross Mauermann has led the Friars in scoring in each of his first two seasons.• Mauermann has notched at least 24 points in each of his first two seasons, the first Friar to do so since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons (Peter Fregoe ‘03 and Jon DiSalvatore ‘03).• Mauermann is the 16th Friar to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back years.• Ron Wilson ‘77 was the last Friar to lead the team in scoring in three consecutive seasons (Wilson lead the Friars in scoring in all four of his seasons from 1973-74 to 1976-77).

HOCKEY BROS• Nick Saracino’s older brother, Chris, is playing for the Reading Royals of the ECHL (with former Friar Ian O’Connor). Chris palyed four seasons at RIT (2009-13).• Kevin Hart’s younger brother, Brian, is a sophomore forward at Harvard (ECAC).• Brandon Tanev’s older brother, Chris, is a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks (NHL). Chris played one season at RIT (2009-10).• Steven McParland’s older brother, Nick, plays for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL (with former Friars Myles Harvey, Eric Baier and Cody Wild). Nick played four seasons at Lake Superior State University (2009-13). • Derek Army’s younger brother, Travis, is a sophomore defenseman at Stonehill College (DIII - Northeast-10).• Kevin Rooney’s older brother, Bryan, is a senior forward at Stonehill College (DIII - Northeast-10).

BERARD RETURNSOn Aug. 2, David Berard ’92 was named Providence College’s Coordinator of Men’s Ice Hockey Operations. • Berard rejoins the Friars to assume the newly created position, having also served two stints as an assistant coach after playing for the Friars from 1988-92. • Berard has over 20 years of collegiate hockey experience, including 15 with Providence College. • Most recently, Berard spent the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons with the University of Connecticut, where he closed out his tenure as the Interim Head Coach.

NOTING 2012-13• The Friars posted a 17-14-7 overall record, and a 13-8-6 mark in Hockey East play to tie for third.• The Friars then hosted a Hockey East Quarterfinal series for the first time since 2002-03 and went on to win a home ice quarterfinal series for the first time since 2000-01 as Providence defeated New Hampshire, two games to one.• Providence made the Hockey East Championship Semifinals for the second consecutive season, marking the first time the Friars made back-to-back semifinal appearances in 17 seasons (1994-95 and 1995-96).• Freshman goaltender Jon Gillies was named a Second Team All-American, the HCA National Rookie of the Year, a First Team Hockey East All-Star and the Hockey East Rookie of the Year. Gillies became PC’s first All-American since 2003-04.• The Friars entered the last weekend of the season with a chance to win the regular-season title for the first time in program history. • Providence’s 17 wins was its highest win total since 2005-06 (17-16-3).• Providence’s 13 Hockey East wins tied for the third-most in program history. It was the program’s first winning Hockey East record since 2005-06.• Providence went 8-8-4 away from Schneider Arena, its highest road win total since 2003-04.• Providence scored 105 goals (most since 2005-06) and registered 173 assists (most since 2005-06).• Senior forward Tim Schaller became the second player in program history to be named the Hockey East Defensive Forward of the Year. • With five shutouts, Gillies set the all-time mark for shutouts in a season by a Friar goaltender (previous high was three). His five shutouts ranked tied for third most nationally. • The Friars reached as high as 16th in the USCHO.com poll, their highest ranking since November of 2003. Providence was ranked 18th in the season-ending USCHO.com poll, marking the first time since 2001 the Friars were ranked in the final USCO.com poll. • Providence captured the Mayor’s Cup in outright fashion for the first time since 2009 with a 7-0 victory at Brown on Nov. 24.• Gillies won the gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, becoming the first ever Friar to medal in the event. He was the 11th Friar to take part in the prestigious event. • Seniors Myles Harvey, Tim Schaller and Alex as well as juniors Derek Army, Kevin Hart and Steven Shamanski all reached the 100-games played plateau. Velischek, along with his father Randy, became the first Father-Son combination to play 100 games for the Friars, a feat that Derek and his father Tim have now also achieved.• With a 6-5 win on Jan. 19, the Friars won at New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center for the first time since March 12, 2004. The Friars finished the regular-season 2-0-1 record against the Wildcats, marking their first undefeated regular season versus the Wildcats since 1991-92. • The Friars finished with an undefeated mark against Maine (2-0-1) for just the seventh time ever and posted their first weekend sweep of the Black Bears (Oct. 26-27) for the first time since 1997. The Friars also swept Northeastern (3-0-0) for the first time since 1999-2000. • With a 3-3 come-from behind tie against Boston College on Dec. 7, the Friars snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Eagles. Then on March 2, the Friars won at Kelly Rink (5-1) for the first time since Feb. 29, 2008 (snapping an 18-game winless streak).• The Friars’ 3-2 overtime win at Merrimack was PC’s first overtime road win since Jan. 13, 2006 when they won at UMass Lowell, 3-2.• Providence opened the year with an 8-2 win over Sacred Heart, marking its highest goal total since an 8-2 win at Bowling Green on Oct. 23, 2009.

FRIAR FAMILY TIESProvidence College senior Derek Army is the son of former Friar hockey player and coach Tim Army and sophomore forward Kevin Rooney is the nephew of former Friar Steve Rooney.• Former PC standout and current assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Tim Army, ranks first all-time in games played (151) and sixth all-time in points (179) at Providence. He earned All-America honors as he helped the Friars capture the 1985 Hockey East Tournament title and guided the team to the NCAA Championship game.• Steve Rooney scored the game-winning goal as the Friars defeated Boston College, 2-1, in double overtime in the inaugural Hockey East championship game in 1985. Steve went on to play in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens team that claimed the 1986 Stanley Cup title. (Steve is the father of 2013 PC graduate Chris Rooney).